Ed Bishop (born George Bishop on 11 June 1932 in Brooklyn, New York), is an American film and television actor based in Great Britain.
Bishop is best known for his television roles working for producer Gerry Anderson, most notably his performance as Commander Ed Straker in the science fiction series, UFO, which was produced in 1969 and broadcast during 1970-1971. Bishop also provided the voice of Captain Blue for Anderson's Supermarionation puppet series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Both series have become cult favorites. In UFO, Bishop dyed his dark hair blonde for the role of Straker, though he eventually started wearing a blonde wig instead. Bishop kept one of the wigs he wore in UFO as a souvenir and was also given the Certina wristwatch he wore on the show, and has said he plans to pass it on to his eldest grandson. [[1]] Bishop was the only cast member of UFO to appear in every episode of that series.
Bishop made his film acting debut in a small role in Stanley Kubrick's 1962 adaptation of Lolita, and he had small roles in the James Bond films You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever. Some of his other better known films include Saturn 3, Twilight's Last Gleaming , Whoops Apocalypse (he also appeared in the TV series version), and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Bishop also provided vocal work for the animated version of Star Trek.
Bishop continues to act on film and TV, usually in British and European productions, and is a frequent guest at science fiction conventions. He is also politically active, participating in the March 2004 British protest against the Iraq war.
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